


Home Is Where My Heart Is

by Ranae_des_Roses



Series: Home [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Post-PoA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:04:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ranae_des_Roses/pseuds/Ranae_des_Roses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>An instant later a man was standing where the dog had been.</em>
</p><p>  <em>“You look dreadful,” said Remus quietly.</em></p><p>  <em>“Lovely to see you too,” replied Sirius dryly, and then he grinned.</em></p><p>Post-PoA, Pre-GoF.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Is Where My Heart Is

It took a few moments for Remus to realize what had woken him.

It was the dead of night, punctured only by the music of chirping crickets… and a faint whining and scratching at his door. For a moment he blinked sleepily in confusion; then he jumped out of bed, still in his night robe, and answered the door.

A shaggy black dog stood on his doorstep, panting and matted with blood. Quickly he stepped aside and the dog limped inside, and then he shut the door behind it.

An instant later a man was standing where the dog had been.

“You look dreadful,” said Remus quietly.

“Lovely to see you too,” replied Sirius dryly, and then he grinned.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Remus took his filthy, calloused hand and led him to the bathroom.

As the tub filled with hot water, Remus slowly pulled the ragged grey Azkaban robes away, giving Sirius plenty of time to react. Sirius did nothing, and was left standing in loose, faded black pants. Remus ran his hands lightly over Sirius’s chest, observing each bloody gash and cut with remorseful eyes.

“I did this, didn’t I?” he whispered. Sirius caught his hands and looked into his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter.”

For a long time Remus searched those haunted grey eyes. Finally he seemed to find what he was looking for, because he leaned forward against Sirius’s chest, closing his eyes as Sirius’s slender arms enfolded him.

“I’ve missed you…”

Sirius’s arms tightened around him. “Not nearly as much as I missed you. It hurt so much, knowing you thought I was a traitor…”

Remus buried his face into the crook of Sirius’s neck. “What went wrong between us, Sirius?”

“Peter went wrong,” replied Sirius shortly. “Times were hard and dark, losing people left and right, suspicious of everyone… the knowledge of a traitor made us paranoid.” He laughed sardonically. “Peter was actually the one who suggested to me that you were the traitor. Not surprising, really, should have seen right through him…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Sirius. Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.” Remus had laid his cheek against Sirius’s bare chest, unconcerned with the grime and filth.

“It doesn’t matter. We can’t change the past. We’ll catch the little bastard someday, but what matters now is that you’re with me again.”

Remus raised himself to meet Sirius’s eyes again, which were shining with warmth and love. Smiling softly, Remus leaned in and met his lips in a brief, tender kiss. It was bittersweet; they each got a taste of all the grief and anguish the other had felt over the past twelve years. When they parted, they were both fighting tears.

“The bath is ready,” Remus said shakily, dropping his gaze. Sirius nodded slightly, cupping Remus’s face so he could look into his eyes again.

Slowly Remus’s hand slipped down to the drawstring of the ragged pants. Sirius stiffened noticeably but made no move to stop him. Remus flashed a reassuring smile.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said lightly, and Sirius laughed softly as the pants joined the robe on the floor. Sirius allowed Remus to help him into the bath, stark naked, and he hissed as the hot water scorched his tender wounds.

After a minute or so of adjusting to the temperature, Sirius looked over at Remus, who was fishing his wand out of his robes.

“Join me?” He flashed a roguish grin, reminding Remus a little painfully of their younger days, when they had romped about the Hogwarts grounds, carefree and blissful. When Remus hesitated, Sirius added, “Nothing I haven’t seen before.” Remus shoved him gently, hiding a grin.

“ _Scourgify_.”

A flurry of soapy pink bubbles burst from the end of his wand and drenched Sirius, who was now completely buried beneath them except for his bright silver eyes, which were eyeing Remus resentfully.

“Cheater,” he said peevishly.

When the bubbles had dissipated and Sirius could see properly again, Remus was brandishing a pair of large, gleaming metal scissors.

“What’re you—”

“Hold still,” interrupted Remus briskly, and with three quick snips Sirius was swimming in a tub full of his own jet black, matted tangles. He glared at Remus, fingering his now ear-length hair.

“You could have warned me,” Sirius growled. “I feel like a stray dog at the groomer’s…”

“Well you know, Sirius, you _are_ —”

“Shut up.”

Remus just laughed and began combing the remainder of Sirius’s hair.

When he was finished, he leaned close and whispered in his ear, “You know, Sirius, you’ll never be a stray again. I’ll always be here for you.”

Sirius turned and smiled—the first genuine smile Remus had seen on him in over twelve years.

For him. Only for him.

“C’mon,” he said softly, helping Sirius out of the bath and wrapping a loose bathrobe around him. Sirius’s now clean skin was glistening from the water and pale from twelve years without sunlight, and scores of cuts and slashes crisscrossed it like a mutilated fishnet.

While Sirius dried himself off, Remus fetched his best salve from his stores. He returned to find Sirius standing on the rug in all his naked glory; despite suffering in Azkaban for so long, he was still achingly gorgeous. Remus, still in his night robe, stood breathlessly for a moment before Sirius smiled coyly at him.

“Miss me, beautiful?”

Remus jerked, chagrined, out of his temporary trance. His golden eyes softened.

“Every minute of my life.”

He uncapped the salve and set to work.

 

Sirius flopped onto Remus’s bed with an exhausted sigh.

“I’m starved, but I don’t have the energy to eat.”

Remus smiled in amusement and left for the kitchen. Sirius glanced around the familiar walls—this was the same flat Remus had bought when they had left school, and it held many memories of “the good old days”. They may have been dark, fearful days, but they were better than the current ones—at least back then they had all been together.

Sighing softly, Sirius allowed himself to relax finally, after so long on the run. Fatigue swept over him, pulling him down into the black abyss of sleep. After a while he heard the door open again as if from far away. Vaguely he was aware that a tray was being set down on the nightstand beside the bed.

“Sirius,” murmured Remus, shaking him gently. “C’mon, you need to eat.”

“Too tired,” he mumbled. “Let me slee—”

A spoon was shoved into his mouth; he jerked up, spluttering. Swallowing, he wiped his mouth and glared at an amused Remus.

“What the hell—?!”

“It got you up, did it not?” Remus was clearly enjoying himself. “You always were a grouch when you were tired.”

“Shut up,” muttered Sirius. He swatted the spoon away as Remus tried to feed him again. “And I will _not_ be spoon-fed like a child.”

Remus gave him his most adorable puppy pout. Sirius was shocked at how little it had changed; he groaned.

“Stop it. You know I can’t resist when you do that.”

“Please?” Remus implored. “C’mon, Siri, I haven’t been able to spoil you in over twelve years.”

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Sirius slumped against the pillows in defeat, inwardly glowing at the sound of his long disused pet name. Remus beamed happily and resumed feeding him soup from a bowl. When at last it was empty and Remus put the spoon on the tray, Sirius pulled him down onto him in a tight embrace; Remus yelped in surprise, and then relaxed. Sirius nuzzled his soft light brown strands, inhaling deeply.

“You still smell delicious,” he murmured huskily. Remus opened his mouth to respond, but Sirius abruptly captured it with his own. Snogging him senseless, he rolled to press Remus’s back into the mattress, entwining their fingers above Remus’s head. By the time he let his partner up for air, Remus was beautifully flushed and panting, his golden eyes hazy.

“Thought you were tired,” he moaned as Sirius began laying scorching kisses down his neck.

“You woke me up, remember?” responded Sirius from somewhere around Remus’s collar bone.

“Nnn… so I did.” He writhed slightly as a sultry tongue traced the shell of his ear, and he ran his fingers through thick strands of silky black hair. It wasn’t until Sirius started fumbling with the ties on his robe that he caught his hands to stop him. Sirius looked up at him questioningly, slightly hurt; Remus kissed him deeply in reassurance.

“Not tonight, Padfoot. You need your rest.”

Sirius pouted, looking remarkably like a spanked puppy. “You tease! No fair; you got to see _me_ naked!”

Remus smirked and nipped at his nose. “In the morning. I promise.”

Sirius harrumphed, defeated, and rolled off Remus and onto his side. Remus spooned himself against his partner’s back.

“Sirius?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

Sirius shifted carefully to face Remus and brought his hands to his face, kissing him tenderly.

“Love you too, Moony.”

Content, Remus snuggled into Sirius’s warm embrace, pressing himself as close as possible and wrapping his arms around the other. Sirius smiled softly, kissing the top of his head.

It was good to be home.

 


End file.
